


The Fate of Johnny Topside

by CynicalLion



Series: Fathoms of Depravity Shorts [4]
Category: BioShock 1 & 2 (Video Games)
Genre: Drug Addiction, Heavily Implied Past Sexual Encounters, Lots of Touching, M/M, Smoking, mentions of drugs use
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:36:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27582149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CynicalLion/pseuds/CynicalLion
Summary: Sinclair gets a call from Ryan dooming Rapture's quickest faded star, Johnny Topside, to a new life as a Protector and decides to give the prisoner the message personally.
Relationships: Augustus Sinclair/Johnny Topside
Series: Fathoms of Depravity Shorts [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1875355
Comments: 4
Kudos: 14





	The Fate of Johnny Topside

**Author's Note:**

> Extra warning: Johnny's kinda dodgy about this whole "life" business so that might be triggering for anyone who's sensitive to things pertaining to suicide

It was late in the afternoon when Sinclair got the call from Ryan. He didn't try to argue, it would only make him look suspicious, and instead agreed easily to the grisly fate about to be faced by one of his prisoners. The delivering of the message would be more difficult. Of course, he didn't _have_ to deliver the news at all, let alone personally, but he'd grown rather fond of Johnny Topside, soon to be Subject Delta of the Alpha series Protectors, and since this would likely be the last time, telling him the news personally seemed like as good an excuse as any to go see him.

Meanwhile, in his relatively comfy cell down in the bowels of Persephone, Johnny was laying on his cot and resisting the urge to play with the Plasmids he could _just_ activate if he focused hard enough. Thanks to all the testing and such that Sinclair contracted him out to do, he was getting good at using his Plasmids, but he was also slowly but surely becoming hooked. He already craved Eve enough that he sometimes entertained the idea of trying to steal a syringe or two whenever he was sent out to Fontaine's to show off Plasmids for Rapture's citizens, but he wasn't yet far-gone enough to think he could actually get away with it or that the risk was worth whatever the consequences would be in the very likely event he was caught.

It helped the cravings to not use the Plasmids he'd spliced with for Fontaine, but life, or lack thereof, really, in Persephone was so dull, there wasn't much else to do. Sometimes, like this time, after a showing, he had enough Eve left in his system to use his Plasmids weakly, but running out of that small amount of Eve only made him crave it worse, so getting to play with a little flame or ball of lightning while he waited to die in his cell really wasn't worth it.

Or at least, that's what he always told himself right before snapping his fingers to watch the little flame come to life and dance around his fingers or flexed his palm and rolled around the little ball of lightning he managed to get going. Johnny was another moment of boredom away from doing just that when his cell door opened and the warden of Persephone himself walked in, shooing the guard who'd escorted him away and grinning down at him once they were alone.

"Got some news for ya, chief." Sinclair announced, one arm crossed over his chest and tucked under the other, which held his cigarette holder.

Sitting up, Johnny flung his legs over the edge of the cot and looked up at Sinclair curiously. News from Sinclair was never good, but at least it was usually more entertaining than rotting away in his cell with his very bones aching for a drug he was pretty sure was killing him even more painfully than boredom. Sinclair seemed to be waiting for Johnny to give him some verbal prompt to continue and sighed lightly when Johnny just sat there patiently.

"Quiet as ever." Sinclair sighed, taking a drag of his cigarette before plucking it from the holder and offering it to Johnny. The younger man took it with a grateful grunt and immediately took a long drag from it. "Ryan's decided demotin' you from celebrity to test-dummy just ain't cuttin' it anymore." He started, shaking his head when Johnny offered him the cigarette back and watching him take another drag. "He's finally given me the order to take you outta the public eye for good."

"Finally." Johnny grumbled, rolling his eyes and taking his next drag slower as he realized this was likely his last cigarette.

"Now, now, chief, don't go gettin' your hopes up, he ain't havin' you killed." Sinclair said, unable to keep from laughing when Johnny looked a mix of annoyed and disappointed. "He's havin' you signed up for the Protector program." He expected some sort of reaction at that point, but Johnny just stared at him for a bit before letting out a plume of smoke and muttering a simple "huh". Huffing in mild aggravation, Sinclair crossed his arms. "Really? Is that the best you've got for me?"

Shrugging a bit, Johnny flicked away the cigarette filter. "I'm still waiting for the--" He suddenly became much more animated, waving one hand around as he spoke and doing his best Sinclair impersonation. "--" _naturally_ I convinced him you'd make an _awful_ Protector and really just came down here for that _fantastic_ cock of yours"."

Laughing despite himself, Sinclair glared at Johnny but it came out halfhearted. "Spot-on impersonation, sport, but my fondness for you ain't gonna spare you your ultimate fate. Not with the god-king of Rapture breathin' down my neck to get rid'a you." He informed, grinning when Johnny frowned. " _However_ ," Sinclair started, reaching out and cupping Johnny's chiseled jaw in order to tilt his head up and get some eye-contact with those gorgeous steel grey eyes before that pleasure was lost forever. "since I **do** all but own the Protector program, I **have** got a bit of pull in how mutilated you end up bein'." He said, scraping his nails lightly through the scruffy stubble on Johnny's chin and grinning when he hummed lightly and leaned into the touch.

"We're lucky you'll only be the fourth model ever since it'd be just short of a cryin' shame to lose your glitterin' personality. The suggestions I'll be makin' in the lab to keep your mental faculties more or less in-tact won't go questioned nearly as much as if you were, say, the hundredth Protector cranked out." Sinclair cupped both of Johnny's cheeks and leaned closer to his face, smirking at the spark of interest in his dark eyes. "Shame I won't be able to do anythin' for what they gotta do to your honest-to-god sinful physique, but even a man as influential of yours truly can only do so much meddlin' before people start askin' uncomfortable questions."

Johnny simply hummed, his eyelids fluttering as Sinclair scratched gently at his jaw stubble with both hands. "All that bein' said, if you could try and behave yourself while they're conditionin' you down in that lab, that'd help quite a bit with our purposes. The more obedient you are from the start, the less the scientists'll feel inclined to take out to make room for the Adam-enhanced stuff."

"Never been real fond of following orders." Johnny replied lowly, his deep voice rumbling against Sinclair's fingers as he followed the trail of scruff from his jaw down his neck.

"Seein' as I'm quite an expert in the field, I'm gonna have to call you on that heapin' pile'a bullshit, chief." Sinclair purred, tilting his head a bit and matching the younger man's raised eyebrow. "You seem awful fond of followin' the orders **I** give you."

"S'different." Johnny mumbled, leaning back a bit and baring his throat when Sinclair's hands wrapped lightly around it and he squeezed gently.

"I know, sugar." Sinclair murmured, parting his hands and dragging one each to Johnny's broad shoulders before pushing gently to make him lean back further. Johnny had to put his arms behind himself to rest back against his knuckles and Sinclair took a moment to admire him like that before his hands moved down to Johnny's hard chest. "Now, we got some time before I gotta ship you off and I happen to have a packet of lube in my pocket if you'd like to spend it doin' somethin' a little more fun than yappin'." He offered, smiling when Johnny chuckled lowly and flashed him a sharp grin.

"Why, mister warden, I thought you'd never offer." He growled lowly, staying leaned back as Sinclair straddled his hips. The older man leaned in for a kiss and Johnny returned it, deciding to indulge Sinclair's sappy side since this would likely be the last time they ever got to do this. Whether he died becoming a Protector, lost himself in the process, or actually came out the other end with his _mental faculties more or less in-tact_ , it was unlikely he'd ever again have a moment to himself for indulgences like the plump Southern snake in his lap, so he was determined to enjoy himself.

**Author's Note:**

> This was mostly written so I could canonically establish MY version of Delta before implementing him into Fathoms proper.
> 
> It also helps establish his and Sinclair's relationship.
> 
> Oh, hey! Another spoiler/warning! Guess who's coming to Fathoms? Wrong! It's both Delta AND Eleanor! I have plans!!! Ha ha ha ha ha!!!


End file.
